I Owe You
by Ceu Praca
Summary: Samus find herself in a relationship with a man she finds persistent and annoying. But when she learns more about him, her life is turned upside-down as she learns to cope with friendship and loss.
1. Excuse Me?

_Remember when you invade the Space Pirate Homeworld and escort the demolitions marines? After the battles, one of them, their leader, tells you that they owe you one. For some reason, I had this idea nagging at me, and I couldn't let it slip away, so I began writing. And boy, I tell you, I've been writing this one far faster than any of my other stories. It'll probably be completely finished in a month, which is much speedier than anything I've ever done._

_Dedicated to God Almighty, and to my beloved uncle, who recently passed away from cancer. I miss you, but I know I'll see you again. :-)_

_Disclaimer: Anything recognizable, including the epic person of Samus Aran, belongs to Nintendo, sadly. Oh, the things I would do if I owned her! :D However, her personality in this fanfic belongs to me; I deliberately made her seem more 'Human' in this one than she's ever been in the official games. Captain Aaron Zerir and EOD/Demolitions Squad Flash belong solely to ME! Never use them without my permission!_

* * *

**One**

One week after Phaaze was destroyed, the Federation fleet had regrouped around Planet Earth, and extensive repairs were being done to most of the ships. I had been given quarters on the flagship known as the _G.F.S. Olympus_, and with the destruction of Metroid Prime, I had been cleansed of all Phazon corruption. It was safe to say that I was glad that the Space Pirates were on the run, because I looked forward to resting and recovering for the next month.

But he came unexpectedly. Wearing military fatigues and sporting a bandage on his upper arm, he blocked my path, staring up at me solemnly. "When are you going to call in my debt, Miss Aran?"

I was so startled by his abrupt, stern question that I took a step back. "Excuse me?"

He folded his arms across his chest, frowning. "The debt that I owe you. When are you calling it in?"

"What debt?" I demanded, mystified.

He gave me an annoying, cocky smirk. "My debt. You'd better call it in soon; I don't have forever."

With that, he spun on his heel and strode away, leaving me standing in the hallway, completely baffled. _Who was that man? What on Earth was he talking about? Debt?_

But it was too late; he was already gone.

* * *

A/N: Ah, he is mysterious. ;-) _Annoy me once, shame on you; annoy me twice, shame on me; annoy me thrice, someone dies._ :P Don't worry, Samus doesn't kill anyone.


	2. Who The Heck Are You?

**Two**

He found me again the next day. I was in the holographic training room, and when I finished blasting all of the targets into oblivion, I turned around. There he was, one hand planted on the door frame, his dark blue eyes watching me intently. Suddenly irritated, I stalked towards him. "Who the heck are you?"

He took a step back in order to look up into my visor, seemingly amused as he gave a sharp salute. "Captain Aaron Zerir, ma'am, EOD/Demolitions Squad Flash. And you are…?"

I rolled my eyes, even though I knew he couldn't see the expression. "You know that already." _It's kind of obvious, considering my distinctive armor and cannon._

He grinned. "You got me. Yeah, I do. You calling it in yet?"

I frowned, placing my hand on my hip. "What do you mean? You don't owe me anything."

He laughed. "Yes, I do."

I sighed. "For _what_?"

"You saved me and my men. We'd be dead if not for you."

"_When_?"

"On the Space Pirate Homeworld, during the Federation's invasion. We were under heavy fire, pinned and unable to retaliate, then you came in and saved our lives. Don't you remember?"

I _did_ remember, actually. I had been ordered to accompany the Demolition Marines, and after the chaos died down, I recalled that the leader of the Marines had walked up to me. The memory of his exact words was crystal-clear: _'Thanks; I thought we were dead when those commandos showed up. We owe you one.'_

He was staring up at me expectantly, and I glowered at him. "I do recall that incident, but you do not owe me, Captain."

I pushed past him carefully, going down the corridor to the quarters assigned to me by the Federation. _Honestly, I save people's lives all the time. It's not like it was an unusual occurrence._

* * *

A/N: You'll find out why he's being so dang persistent about paying back his debt later on. :-)


	3. Go Away!

**Three**

The next day, I was in the training room again, when I heard a voice that made me want to bash me head against the wall in frustration. "Are you calling it in yet?"

"Go away!"

Captain Zerir grinned, but he didn't comply, instead leaning casually against the wall. "I don't have forever, Lady; you're gonna have to call in the debt sometime."

I switched my visor to transparency mode, giving him a scathing look. "There is nothing that you could possibly do for me, Captain."

He just shrugged. "Do you ever take that armor off?"

"What kind of question is _that_?"

He laughed, then coughed. "I'm not going to leave you alone until you call it in, Miss Aran."

"I'm not _going_ to call it in!"

Zerir flashed that annoying smirk of his. "I owe you, Miss Aran, and like it or not, I'm paying my debt. You can either call it in or ignore it, but I _will_ pay you back somehow."

I stared at him, contemplating the idea of getting a restraining order. "Is that a threat?"

"Call it an ultimatum."

I charged my Wave Beam, glaring at him warningly. "Your persistence could get you killed."

His teasing smile abruptly vanished, and he clasped his hands in front of him, his gaze penetrating. "At least it'd be a quick death."

I was bewildered by his change in attitude. "You confuse me."

The grin reappeared. "That's nice to know." He put his hands on his hips and glowered at me sternly, seemingly not intimidated at all by the fact that I was two feet taller than him. "I'll see you around."

"I hope not," I muttered under my breath, watching him leave.

He turned halfway and smirked at me again, then began whistling softly. I could still hear him even after he was gone.

* * *

A/N: I don't know why I'm saying this, but the tune he was whistling was 'It Is Well," by Kutless. Just to give you guys a better sense of the dude. XD


	4. A Heartfelt Request

**Four**

Unfortunately, the Marine didn't care that stalking was a crime, because I found him leaning against one of the trident prongs of my ship the morning after.* By now, I was seriously considering throwing him out of the _Olympus' _airlock. I approached him warily, not sure what to expect. "What are you doing to my ship?"

He waved an oiled rag in my face and bowed elegantly. "Your ship is now well-polished, My Lady."

_He polished the _Newborn_. Seriously? What's with this guy?_ I checked my ship carefully; sure enough, the surface was so shiny that I could see my reflection. "Something's not right in your brain," I told him, chuckling in spite of myself.

"I'm not arguing with that," he replied nonchalantly.

I glowered at him. "And I'm not your lady."

"Anything else I can do?" he asked, ignoring my statement. "I intend to pay you back somehow."

"Doing small favors doesn't equal a life."

"I know, but you're unlikely to fall into a mortal situation where you'd need rescuing, so I'm settling for second-best."

"You're annoying."

"Why, thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment, Captain."

He winced, coughing. "Just call me Aaron, please."

I frowned, starting to worry when his coughing didn't subside. "Are you all right?"

He recovered, nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay. Cough won't go away; it's been bothering me all week. Do you mind if I call you Samus?"

I nodded, still feeling kind of concerned. "Isn't there anything the doctors can do for you?"

Aaron laughed. "They've done all they can. There's nothing left but to wait for the affliction to end."

"That sounds pretty negative."

"Says the woman who flies around blowing up planets," he muttered, chuckling. "Can I take you to dinner sometime?"

_He is so random it's not even funny._ "I don't date, Aaron."

He smirked in that annoying way of his. "You eat, don't you?"

"Yes, but not with other people."

He rolled his eyes. "Never mind. Just meet me at my quarters tonight at twenty-two hundred."

_He sure is persistent._ "Are you giving me an order?"

"Think of it as a heartfelt request," he said with a wink, walking past me and down the docking platform. _Maybe I should get that restraining order. He is way past annoying now._

* * *

* I'm just assuming that whoever is reading this has played Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, so I don't need to describe her ship for you. If you don't know what her ship looks like, then just Google it; 'Samus Aran's gunship, MP3: Corruption.'

A/N: By the way, for those of you who tend to overlook stuff, there was a subtle foreshadow when Aaron started coughing like that. His personality is sort of based on my uncle, by the way, who I mentioned in the first chapter.


	5. What Is The Point Of This?

By the way, I forgot to clarify this, but the name of Samus' gunship, the _Newborn_, also belongs to me. I use it regularly in my Metroid fanfics, and I don't want anyone else using that name without permission. You guys can choose your own name for her ship. :P

* * *

**Five**

However, mostly because I was just plain curious about what he was planning, I found myself standing outside the door to his quarters at the appointed time. I knocked gently, not wanting to accidentally put a dent in the steel, and he opened the door almost immediately with a smile. "Come on in, Samus."

"What is the point of this?" I asked as I stepped inside slowly.

He shrugged, closing the door behind me and sitting on the edge of a desk that was situated in the corner. "Just wanted to talk to you. Do you _ever_ take that armor off?"

"I'm not answering that," I replied as I leaned against the wall.

"Fair enough."

I surveyed the area cautiously; the only furniture was a bed, the desk, a dresser, and a footlocker. The entire room was pristine, without any clutter whatsoever. In fact, the only things I saw that looked like personal belongings were a thick book with a brown, leather cover, and a small pile of thermal charges. His room was even devoid of the usual steel chest where soldiers kept his armor, which seemed kind of odd, considering how a soldier's armor equaled his life. "Those aren't live, are they?" I asked, pointing to the bombs.

"Yes and no. Only about half of them are armed. I've been disarming them all week for when they make the trip back to Pro."

"'Pro?'" I repeated, puzzled.

He chuckled. "Marine jargon, short for Procurement. It's where we get most of our equipment for the field."

"But you're a demolitions trooper, aren't you? Why wouldn't you keep the charges for when you might need them?"

"That's a good question," he said softly, then he coughed.

I suppressed the irrational worry over him and focused on the whole reason I had come. "Why did you want me to come here?"

He sighed, running his hand over his upper left arm, where his bandage was. "You're right, Samus. There's nothing I can do for you."

_Finally. _"It's about time you realize that."

His expression became serious, his gaze penetrating. "Nothing I can do…except give you my friendship."

I stiffened, memories of Adam and Ian flooding through me.* I shook my head, suppressing the urge to shudder. "Everyone who has ever become my friend has died because of me."

His dark blue eyes flashed. "So? Everyone dies. It's just a matter of time." He held out his left hand. "I _promise_ you, Samus, you're not putting me at risk."

I hesitated, but his gaze was so sincere that I somehow knew I could trust him; I took his hand in mine as gently as possible, not wanting to accidentally crush his bones. He smiled, then his face abruptly contorted in pain as he fell forward with his free hand clutched to his chest.

"Aaron!" I exclaimed, catching him quickly. His whole body was trembling now, his breath coming in short gasps as he gripped my hand like it was a lifeline. I checked his pulse; it was uneven and heavy, like his heart was beating against the force of something else.

Eventually, his breathing returned to normal, and he straightened up slowly, still holding on to me tightly as he coughed. "Thanks, Samus," he mumbled.

"Are you okay?"

He chuckled hoarsely. "Yeah, I'm fine. As good condition as can be expected, anyway. The pain comes now and then without warning; has been for a week now. What, were you worried about me?"

_Yes, I was worried about you!_ "I thought you were going into cardiac arrest, you idiot! What the heck happened?"  
Aaron shrugged, letting go of me and reaching up to touch his bandage. "Too much pressure on my heart, which causes that pain."

"Pressure?" I echoed uncomprehendingly.

He gave a subdued smirk, unwrapping the bandage swiftly. I gasped; there was a short, smooth-edged scar on his upper arm, and the newly healed skin was glowing a faint blue, pulsing in time to his heartbeat. "Looks freaky, doesn't it? Happened when we invaded the Pirate Homeworld. A commando got me with its bayonet, slicing clean through my armor and nicking the skin."

"Phazon," I murmured.

He shrugged again. "Yeah. It's in my bloodstream, and planted itself on one side of my heart. Thankfully, there's no danger of it going to my brain, but it's slowly wrapping itself around my heart and lungs. Eventually, the pressure will be too much."

He said it so casually that it took a while for it to sink in. The pressure would be too much…when that happened, his heart and lungs would stop.

"You're dying," I whispered.

He nodded. "I only have two weeks left, at most. Probably less than that. The doctors tried to help me, but they've done all they can. It's terminal; there's nothing that can be done."

* * *

* For those of you who haven't played Metroid: Other M, Adam and Ian are two brothers. Adam Malkovitch was Samus' commander back when she was part of the Federation army. During a space mission, there was a deadly incident where Adam had to sacrifice his brother, Ian, in order to save the rest of the ship, including Samus. Samus blamed herself, because she knew that Adam had sacrificed Ian to save _her_. Adam later on also gave up his own life, also in order to save her. She feels a lot of guilt over both of those incidents. Sorry, my mini-history-lesson is over.


	6. I'm Sorry

**Six**

Phazon. That scourge of the galaxy, which I thought I'd destroyed on Phaaze, was slowly taking the life of this man sitting in front of me. "How can you be so calm about this?"

He frowned slightly. "Death comes to us all sooner or later. Mine is just coming sooner. It's not death itself that scares me, its leaving this life with my work unfinished. I owe you, Samus, but the only thing I can give is my friendship."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-nine."

_So young. How can his life be almost over already?_ "I'm sorry."

He chuckled softly, wrapping the bandage around the scar again. "It's not your fault, Samus. It's just happened. Don't worry about me. I know my fate, and I accept it. I consider myself fortunate; I've had time to make arrangements and prepare myself. My squad already knows, and a man has already been picked to take my place when I'm gone."

_He's so peaceful and accepting. _I sighed. "No, Aaron, I meant that I'm sorry for being so rude to you earlier."

He grinned. "You could punch me in the face and I wouldn't mind. Don't go treating me any different just because you found out that I'm a walking dead man."

"Why do you sound like you're perfectly fine with dying?"

He smiled. "Samus, I'm the last of my family. The only friends I have are you and my squad. I know where I'm going, and I look forward to seeing my family again."

I checked my HUD; it was only an hour until midnight. Not that it mattered while we were on a flagship in space, but he looked like he needed the rest. "I should go now, Aaron. You need to get some sleep."

He laughed. "A few more weeks, and I'll go to bed for eternity. But I get your point, so fine, I'll rest for a while. Goodnight, Samus."

"Goodnight, Aaron," I replied softly, leaving his quarters and heading back to my ship. _I just made friends with a man who's going to be dead soon. I'm not sure this is wise, but…I can't refuse him._


	7. Hey, Samus!

**Seven**

Two days. That's how much time passed since Aaron first spoke to me. I hadn't seen him yet today, but I didn't want to go look for him if there was a chance that he'd be with his squad. Besides, the missile systems on my ship needed a calibrating that was long overdue.

"Hey, Samus!"

I yelped involuntarily as Aaron face grinned down at me from above my ship; he'd been sitting on top of the _Newborn_. I glared at him. "What the heck are you doing? How did you get up there?"

He chuckled. "Easy, there, I surrender."

"_What_?"

"Don't shoot."

I realized guiltily that I was aiming my arm cannon at him, and the barrel was glowing with a fully charged ice beam. I quickly lowered my arm and absorbed the beam. "Sorry, it was reflex."

"I guess," he laughed, sliding down one of the two prongs of the trident-shaped vessel and saluting.

"Are you sure it's wise for you to be this active?"

He started coughing as I said this, and I frowned at him in concern as he recovered, leaning against the prong. "It hurts, but I refuse to end my days decaying in a bed. The way I see it, I'm dying anyway; I may as well have fun."

I sighed. "Just don't do anything reckless."

He laughed again. "You're telling a dying man to be safe?"

I shook my head, dimming my visor in order to glare at him. "What were you even doing up there?"

He held up the leather book that was in his hand. I saw now that there was a simple, gold cross emblazoned into the cover. "I was reading my Bible. Psalm twenty-three."

"Okay, then," I muttered, my visor shifting once more. _He's religious. Great._*

Aaron smiled, tucking the book into a backpack that he was wearing before coming over and standing on tip-toe so that he was nose-to-visor with me. "Your visor is opaque again," he accused.

"And you're being annoying again," I countered, but I dimmed my visor, giving him a stern look.

He grinned triumphantly, taking a step back. "I like you better when I can see your eyes."

I glared at him, which only caused him to smirk as I pushed past him and onto my ship's elevator. I hesitated, then looked over my shoulder. "You may as well come aboard."

He shrugged, but came to stand beside me on the platform, jolting slightly as it hissed upwards. "Nice to know you trust me with coming into your ship," he commented.

I stepped into my ship's cockpit area and opened the missile control panel. I deactivated my armor in order to complete the procedure, ignoring his surprised gasp as I knelt and began carefully checking the delicate wires that controlled the missile systems.

When I was assured that they were all in perfect condition, I straightened up and turned to look at him; his eyes were startled. I put my hands on my hips, giving him a challenging look. "What?"

His expression relaxed, and he chuckled, coming over to look down at me. Before I could ask him what he was doing, he hovered one hand a few feet above my head. "You're short. _Really_ short."*

I caught his wrist and twisted so that he was forced to his knees. I smirked. "I knew that already, Aaron. Tell me something else."

He grinned, freeing his arm. "You're also pretty cute."

I froze, staring at him in shock, and he threw back his head and laughed; I growled, lunging at him, but he dove to one side, causing me to overshoot. Before I could react, the man had me in an armlock, and I hissed, stomping on his toes, a move that forced him to let go. "You're going to end up ticking me off."

He looked totally unconcerned, but I could hear him breathing heavily; just that short skirmish had almost winded him. "I thought I already did that." He began coughing, and I frowned, but he soon recovered, sitting down in my pilot's chair.

"Are you okay?"

He laughed again. "Well, Samus, I'm dying, but other than that, I'm in perfect condition."

I smiled. "Sorry, that was pretty dumb, huh?"

"Yup," he said cheerily.

I glared at him. "You're in my chair."

"It's very comfortable," he told me, winking.

I sighed. "Dead men have no fear, I'm assuming."

"You got that right."

He stood and grinned at me; I pointed to the elevator. "Out. Now." I reactivated my armor, waiting until the platform had lowered before I pushed him gently. "I have work to do, Captain."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Not unless you can lift over two thousand pounds of solid Chozo steel," I replied, ordering Adam to open up the missile ports. The ship's thrusters activated, and the prongs were raised as they opened, two, huge cylinders dropping out with a loud clang.

Aaron stared at the cylinders, looking amused. "I know I can't lift _that_ much weight. What are you doing?"

"There's an anomaly in the left cylinder. It's probably something that the _Newborn_ picked up when I invaded the Pirate Homeworld."

"Well, then, if you don't need my help, I'm going to go work on something elsewhere."

I nodded, hearing his footsteps as he walked away, then I began carefully inspecting the cylinder. _He's remarkably purposeful for someone who'll be dead soon._

* * *

* Just so you know, I'm a Christian, but I'm not religious. Aaron is the same way. However, Samus is not, and she doesn't know yet that there's a difference between Christianity and religion.

* Again, a Metroid: Other M reference. In that game, Samus is eight feet tall when in her armor, but without her armor, she's only five feet tall. I just couldn't resist having Aaron make a joke about her height. XD


	8. How Did You Know It Was Me?

**Eight**

I didn't see him at all the next day, or even the day after. Finally, on the third day, around 2100,* I went to his quarters and knocked apprehensively, sighing in relief when I heard his voice.

"Come in, Samus."

I entered, glaring at him suspiciously as I saw that he was bent over his desk. "How did you know it was me, Aaron?"

He chuckled. "You're the only one I know who can knock that loudly. You didn't put a dent in my door, I hope."

"Where have you been?" I demanded, ignoring his comment. "I was beginning to think-"

"-that I was dead," he finished with a smirk.

I frowned, watching his hand as he wrote swiftly on a piece of notepaper. "What are you doing?"

"Writing my will," he replied seriously. "It'll be finalized and legalized tomorrow by a guy I know."

I sealed the door behind me and deactivated my armor, sitting on his bed to watch him. "You're only just now doing this?"

He shrugged, folding the paper and tucking it into an envelope. "I put it off because I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen to my stuff after I'm gone. Now I know, so I'm writing it."

"Oh. Where have you been lately?"

He put the envelope in his desk before swiveling his chair to face me. "Talked to my squad about some things, and I was called in by the Fleet Admiral; he wanted to go over some details with me."

I rested my head in my hands, staring at him. "Are you okay? Mentally, I mean. You look exhausted."

He shrugged again, coughing. "Haven't slept well lately. Every time I manage to get to sleep, that's when the nightmares come."

I frowned, concerned. "Nightmares? About what?"

He sighed. "Phazon, commandos, and a whole lot of nothing."

"How can you dream about nothing?"

"As in nothing but fire and darkness."

"How are you coping?"

He smiled wanly. "You're actually worried about me?"

"_Yes_," I stated emphatically.

Aaron was silent for a bit, then he shook his head. "To tell the truth, I'm kinda scared. It's not death itself that terrifies me…it's the process of dying. Everything seemed to just hit me all at once today."

"I don't blame you," I said softly. "I'd be scared, too." _He doesn't have anyone left but his squadron…and me._ "Would you mind if I stayed here tonight? I want to keep an eye on you."

He chuckled. "I'm fine, Samus. I'll manage." I glowered at him, and he coughed. "Go right ahead and stay, but there's only one bed."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, Aaron; I don't sleep."

"Nice to know," he muttered, then winced, one hand going to his chest. I took a step forward reflexively, reaching out to grab his other hand. His grip tightened as he began shuddering, his breathing uneven like before, then, slowly, his muscles relaxed as he let out a deep breath. "Thank you."

I forced myself to smile. "You should rest."

He gave a halfhearted smirk. "Yeah, I know." His gaze became serious. "To be honest, Samus…I'm glad you're here."

He let go of my hand rather cautiously, as though he were afraid that eve that simple movement would ignite the pain, then he lay down slowly, one hand moving up to clutch some kind of pendant that hung from a necklace he wore. I seated myself, cross-legged, on the floor, watching the man closely as I suddenly felt protective of him. "Goodnight, Aaron," I whispered.

He waved his hand, apparently triggering a motion sensor, because the lights turned off. I heard his voice through the darkness, soft and reassured. "Goodnight, Samus."

* * *

* I use military time in this fanfic, in case you were wondering. Earlier, when Aaron used the phrase 'twenty-two hundred,' he meant 10:00pm. And now, with 2100, I meant 9:00pm.

A/N: The pendant is explained later. You can see it on the cover art. :-) It's simply a white shell on a thin, silver chain.


	9. I'm Here

**Nine**

It was subtle. A faint shifting, then the sound of restless movement. My eyes snapped open, and it took a moment for me to remember where I was. In Aaron's quarters, sitting on the floor in total darkness. _Aaron._ I stood and moved silently across the area, somehow sensing the man's location. He shifted again, moaning as though in pain, then I heard him mumbling something.

"Spark, Zero, Rabbit, Puzzle, Det, Flame, Jet, Glass, Cross, Nail, Erase…" _Eleven. He just said eleven names. Eleven men. His squad numbered twelve. _Then I heard him say another name. Mine. I couldn't see a thing in the dark, but I could hear him tossing and turning, saying the same three names over and over again. _Cross. Erase. Det. _I drew my breath sharply when he hit my leg as he shifted again, then I heard him thrashing around.

_He wasn't kidding about nightmares._ I took a risk, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out, gently holding his head in my lap and stroking his short, buzz-cut hair. He was still shifting, his hands occasionally moving as though he was dismantling a bomb in his sleep, and I could tell that he was still dreaming. I took a deep breath, feeling kind of uncertain, but I began to sing quietly.

It wasn't even a real song, just a bunch of random phrases in Chozo, but I hoped that just the sound of my voice would calm him. Soon, his struggling began to subside, and I slid myself further onto the bed so that I was hugging his shoulders. "It's okay, Aaron, I'm here," I whispered softly.

He shifted again, then one of his hands slipped into mine as he moaned again before mumbling another name. "Katie."


	10. Stop Calling Me Cute!

**Ten**

"Samus?" a low voice asked.

"Mm?" I replied drowsily, opening my eyes to see Aaron sitting beside me with an expression that looked torn between amusement and confusion.

He chuckled. "What was it you said about not sleeping?"

"Oh!" I bolted upright, suddenly embarrassed, and he laughed as I attempted to smooth out my tangled hair. "I'm sorry…" I frowned at him. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

He gave me a look of mock horror. "I hope I wasn't giving away Galactic Federation military secrets."

"No, just a bunch of names," I muttered, growling when my hair wouldn't behave and lie flat. "I look like a frizzy mess," I complained.

He smirked in that annoying way of his, then shifted so that he was behind me. I stiffened as I felt his fingers combing gently through my hair, somehow working through the tangles. I could feel him shaking with silent laughter as he smoothly undid the terrible mess that was my hair. "I may talk in my sleep, but you roll all over the place. It was all I could do to keep you from falling out of bed."

I frowned, feeling my muscles involuntarily relaxing as his hands gently massaged my scalp. "Where did a buzz-cut Marine learn how to handle long hair?"

He chuckled again. "I learned quickly after my wife yelled in pain a few times."

"You're married?"

"I _was_," he corrected with a sigh. "Had a little girl, too, only three years old. Raina. They both died in a Pirate raid on Arrehah seven years ago."

_So that's what he meant by having no family left._ I restrained an urge to turn around. "Was her name Katie?"

He finished, putting my hair in its traditional ponytail before coming around to stare into my eyes. "How did you know that?"

"It was one of the names you said in your sleep last night."

"Huh. What other names were I saying?" I told him, and he shrugged. "My squad. We all have nicknames. Cross, Erase, and Det were the three men who died during the Homeworld invasion. By the way, Samus…" He grinned. "You have a fantastic singing voice."

I glared at him. "You were supposed to be asleep!"

He laughed, leaning against the wall and putting his hands behind his head. "I was. I woke up sometime around four hundred, and I heard you singing. After a few minutes, you drifted off to sleep. You looked so peaceful and cute that I didn't want to wake you."

I threw his pillow at him. "Stop calling me cute!"

He caught it easily, swinging it back to hit me gently in the face. "Not gonna happen," he said with his characteristic smirk. "You're just too cute for me to stop calling you that."

I snatched the pillow back from him, growling, but he dodged my second blow, coughing. I frowned. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just a little sore. Don't worry about me. What was it that you were singing last night?"

I chuckled. "Loosely translated, 'calm down, stop having nightmares, don't wake up.'"

"Wow, I can see you were inventive."

I glowered at him for a long time, and he returned the expression…then we both burst into laughter.


End file.
